Is affiliate marketing a pyramid scheme?
There can be different reasons to why people are asking themselves”is affiliate marketing a pyramid scheme”. One reason could be that they have struggled for a long time to make money online by using affiliate marketing.
Because of frustration they may question affiliate marketing and if affiliate marketing really works. Or if it is only the so called gurus and top dogs that are allowed so to say to make money from affiliate marketing? But that is simply not true.
So is affiliate marketing a pyramid scheme then? Is it a scam? No it is certainly not, and I wll explain why I think so. People sometimes give up to soon because of struggling with affiliate marketing, or they may not be consistent enough. Another reason can be that they have not yet learned the proper skills of making sales with affiliate marketing Anyway, I will also share some facts about scams among online business opportunities in this blog post but I will also share platforms where you can sign up for free, that you can use to find products to promote.
Truth on affiliate marketing
People may blame affiliate marketing because their lack of success or for other reasons and then maybe the question come to mind “ is affiliate marketing a pyramid scheme?”. First off what is a pyramid scheme? A pyramid scheme is a dis honest business strategy that involves recruiting people into something that simply will not last. The plan works by a model of a pyramid, with a few people at the top and a growing number of people at each consecutive level below.
A pyramid scheme's works this way that new peopleat the bottom of the pyramid must pay a fee or spend a particular amount of money in order to join. They are then told to recruit more members who must likewise make a payment. This is repeated as each new recruit becomes a recruiter, attempting to build their own downline of members. The people at at the top of the pyramid make their money from the investments made by those at the bottom.
Hyped up promises of huge returns on investment or other advantagess are often being used på those who are promoting a scheme. However, what decides if the scheme will keep existing depends on if members are successful with recruiting new members. Otherwise the scheme will shut down. Although it happens sometimes that different online businesses actually is a pyramid scheme or scam. But there are many online businesses out there that is totally legit. Just because there exists pyramid schemes in this industry does not mean that affiliate marketing in it self is a pyramid scheme.
Different structures
Both affiliate marketing and pyramid schemes include earning money by referring others, their structure are very different.
People earn a commission in affiliate marketing by advertising and recommending products or services to others. They are given a affiliate link or code, and when someone uses that link or code to make a purchase, the affiliate earns a certain commission. Affiliate marketers earn money by driving sales or leads on their own, and their earnings are not dependant on promoting others into the program.
Pyramid schemes, on the other hand, rely on recruitment and a constant stream of new participants to generate money. A pyramid scheme's primary focus is on recruiting more people into the system, with little or no focus on selling actual products or services. A pyramid scheme's commissions are usually paid through recruitment rather than real sales, and the pyramid scheme will not last because it cannot operate indefinitely without new members.
The existence of a real product or service being advertised separates affiliate marketing from pyramid scams. Affiliates promote real products or services offered by businesses in affiliate marketing.
They are paid depending on their sales or referrals, resulting in a win-win situation for the affiliate, the business, and the clients. Pyramid schemes, on the other hand, does not have a legal product or service and rely on fresh member recruitment as their principal source of income.
When considering to join any business opportunity, including affiliate marketing, it is critical that you do a research to see if it really is legal and so on.
Scam warning
So how do you know if a online business opportunity is a scam? Well if what they promise sounds way to good to be true, then it prbably is. An important thing to look for is if the business has a real product. There are also sites where people can r eport scams. Such sites are as follows.
Platforms for affiliate products
In the video above I am sharing 3 major platforms where you can sign up for free and request to peomote different prooducts. There are other platforms as well but the ones I am sharing with you are:
- Warriorplus
- Jvzoo
- Cliickbank
At Warriorplus you can finds products within the making money niche, but not within weightloss or such niches. At Jvzoo it is mostly softwares you can promote and affilitate marketing trainings. At Clickbank on the other hand you can choose form a lot of different niches, such as investing, making money online, diets and so on.
I am offering this free training here from a 7 figure earner by the way.
Summary
Although it happens that online business opportunities are scams does not mean that affiliate marketing in it self is a pyramid scheme or scam. Affiliate marketing is regarded as one of the best ways to start making money online. Because of people struggling to make any money online they may start to question if affiliate marketing works. It works if you work it. If you have accesss to a good mentor and/or a good affiliate marketing training then you can succeed with affiliate marketing. But you also need to be persistent.
But it is important that you do your research before you sign up for a new business opportunity. Because you do not want to waste time sponsoring people to a scam, because it can ruin your online reputation, and you may not even get paid from that business opportunity. One thing you can research is if the particular business opportunity has a real product.
Have you been scammed online in the past? Feel free to leave your comments below. Thank you for checking out this blog, welcome back at any time.
Cheers, Tommy Olsson.
